The Psychoanalysis of Racism,
Revolution and Nationalism
(Richard A. Koenigsberg) is available for purchase as a paperback or an e-book. |
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Nations are conceived as bodies. We project our own body into a national body. One's fragile, vulnerable self is blown up—to become a gigantic, omnipotent self.
Because territory is imagined in corporeal terms (Neocleous), the state seeks to secure it borders—its "orifices and entry points." Orifices and entry points must be closed—to prevent penetration. Porous boundaries need to be firmed up, sealed off—walls built to protect the vulnerable self. One's actual, fragile body fuses with the fantasy of a of a gigantic, invulnerable body. National bodies require borders to prevent penetration. Anxiety is played out on a monumental scale. Walls must be built—nothing can be allowed to penetrate. Each and every orifice must be sealed. |
